Spain is one of the world’s most visited countries. While the usual images that travelers associate with the Southern European nation typically revolve around Andalucian white towns, paella or the unique architecture in Barcelona; there is a side to Spain that travelers often miss – and that is its northern coast.
I recently went for a trip in the northern regions, starting in the Basque Country and ending in Galicia and the contrast between that and more popular regions such as Andalucia, Valencia, Barcelona or even Madrid couldn’t be any greater. The regional variations extend to the architecture, the cuisine and the landscapes. It is just so much greener in the north that I often had to pinch myself to convince I am still in Spain.
In this guide, I aim to share my Northern Spain itinerary from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela, which can be done by train or bus. I personally went on a 6-day/5-night train ride through the Costa Verde Express which allowed for excursions in these places through a combination of train or bus. The below itinerary can also be done independently using a combination of public trains, buses and car hire.
When traveling by train or at the countryside, do note that the wifi onboard can be unstable so I also had roaming mobile data during my trip. Jetpac’s Globetrotter e-sim allows for data roaming in 50 destinations through an easy installation process.
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